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Sunday, March 27, 2016

Graphic Novel Mini Reviews

I honor of the fact that I have read more graphic novels/manga/comics than usual I felt the need to share, though I most of these are kind of obscure.

+Anima 1 (+Anima #1) AND +Anima 2 (+Anima #2) by Natsumi Mukai Series Synopsis: Beings who possess animal-like powers walk among humans in this alternate universe. These mysterious mutants, the +Anima, are shunned by society. Four outcasts in particular--Cooro, a boy with crow-like powers; Husky, a fish-boy; Senri, a bear +Anima; and a girl named Nana, who wields the power of the bat--search for others like themselves while trying to gain acceptance in a world cruel to anyone or anything that is different.Opinions: So far this is actually a pretty cute series. In the first two books they don't really elude to an ending so it definitely is a fun read that doesn't require any astute observations or even all of your attention. Cooro is such an exciting character who is definitely one to go with the flow which adds to the fun loving feeling of the series so far. A great weekend read.

Rosario+Vampire, Vol.1 (Rosario+Vampire #1) by Akihisa IkedaSeries Synopsis:All-around average teenager Tsukune can't get accepted to any high school save one...but on his first day he finds the rest of the student body doesn't appear average at all. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can't wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec'--are those her teeth around his neck too...? Tsukune's going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H E double hockey sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn't between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?Opinions: Again this was a relatively fun read, Ikeda does a good job of taking the whole concept of a monster school and basically making a joke out of it. While this was entertaining in itself, it lacked something that I can't quite put my finger on it. I will say that I have one little pet peeve about the story; Moka is described as having brown hair in the book, but on the cover and in the anime she has pink hair....so, yeah.

Kellie's Diary #1 (Kellie's Diary #1) by Thomas Jenner and Angeline PerkinsSynopsis: What if the early 1990's didn't happen as we remember it? What kind of world would we live in today? This story is told from the viewpoint of 9-year-old Kellie, a typical third-grade girl living her life as anyone else would, and she shares her daily activities with her diary. When the world crumbles and the dead walk, Kellie struggles to survive and find her way home, all the while sharing her tale with her diary.Opinions: This ended up being much better than I expected, though it was obviously not perfect. Since it is diary entries from a nine-year-old girl everything is sort of euphemised (is that even a word?), she refers to the walking-dead simply as monsters. The story was also kind of intriguing in that she, sort of, discuses what it was like leading up to the outbreak, people getting sick, and afterwards her main goal being to get home to find her parents. I'm actually kind of interested in what the other books in the series entail. (This book is currently free on the kindle)

Saltwater Witch (Saltwater Witch Comic #1) AND Saltwater Witch (Comic #2) (Saltwater Witch Comic #2) by Chris HowardSeries Synopsis: An army of the drowned dead, family betrayal, an exiled witch who doesn't know she has power--or that enemies are lurking all around her, spying on her. Follow Kassandra as she discovers who and what she is in this moving underwater fantasy.Kassandra comes from the sea, but she has no memory of saltwater, seagulls, or an incoming tide. She's never seen an ocean, never heard the thunder of surf. She's an exile, betrayed by her own family, sent as far from the sea as they could arrange--somewhere in the middle of Nebraska.Opinions: First of all, this book is terrible for the ebook, its hard to read and poorly put together. I will say, the story itself is actually pretty interesting, this series is the comic editions of Chris Howard's Seaborn Trilogy, but because it's based on novels you can tell that a lot of it is kind of rushed and it almost feels like certain things are missed. Plus, even though I haven't read read any part of the Seaborn Trilogy, I do not think it needs a comic edition and a graphic novel edition. Like chill, the reviews are sub par at best and most people haven't even heard of it. Anyways, I wouldn't recommend these comics, but I have no idea what the books themselves are like. (The first two comics are currently for free on the kindle)